Unless cleaned and sanitized in the proper way wooden cutting boards are more likely to harbor bacteria in the cracks and crevices than the plastic ones. In many areas the health departments do not all them in commercial kitchens. I suggest a minor expenditure and by new plastic ones.

(I expect t37chef my friend o is agree as it is a topic we both have differing views)

One thing we both would agree upon is that the board needs to be free of grooves and places which would prevent good cleaning and that good sanitation techniques are required no matter hat material. Sanding plastic will open the pores o allow fools debris to be trapped and encourage
bacteria.

USDA Food Code allows both wood and plastc
Dave

Hi Dave,

We certainly agree that whatever material is used must be easily cleanable.
I have found little scientific evidence though that wood is " more likely" to harbor pathogens than plastic.

In industry, the biggest issues I see with plastic boards are: That they are often allowed to remain in service too long after becoming scarred and stained. And, that they are often put away wet and stacked, rather than allowed to " air dry" vertically and not touching. My university's micro-lab has done extensive testing on this stacking vs. standing issue.

The FDA issues the Food Code and the USDA contributes. It's guidance to industry. I suspect that those health departments that have banned wood have done so for a variety of reasons: The " old" wood-top tables that were often poorly maintained and required cleaning and sanitizing " in place".
And, that plastic boards hold up better under repeated high temperature sanitizing in dishmachines than wood, and therefore are more likely to be sent to the machine by the user than wood. Health departments take a risk-based approach and typically don't trust that people will use the proper dillution rates, contact times and air drying for chemical sanitization. In either case, the industry has gone to plastic. Plastic is also less expensive.

Since the topic is for boat use I still suggest that the plastic ones re the ones most easily sanitized by boars and more likely to be replaced when necessary than the wooden ones.

I would be very few people with wooden ones bleach them after use or even wash, rinse and sanitize them properly

On Haleakula our decorative vanished and protected butcher-block cutting board sits on our stove top. We have a small thin light weight inexpensive ( Less than %10) plastic board to put on top when knife magic is required.

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Since the topic is for boat use I still suggest that the plastic ones re the ones most easily sanitized by boars and more likely to be replaced when necessary than the wooden ones.

I would be very few people with wooden ones bleach them after use or even wash, rinse and sanitize them properly

On Haleakula our decorative vanished and protected butcher-block cutting board sits on our stove top. We have a small thin light weight inexpensive ( Less than %10) plastic board to put on top when knife magic is required.

This is exactly the point I disagree with you about Dave. I agree that using wood in a commercial kitchen more often than not does not make sense, economically or safety...on a boat however where most do NOT have a high temp dishwasher, I don't like plastic. I would never bleach my wooden cutting boards anyway, only soapy water and rinse followed by a white vinegar rinse. Wood has absorbing qualities plastic does not, thats the most basic difference...if you remove or reduce the moisture from the boards a pathogen it will die just like a dried food, cured foods, etc.

I recently received a Corian cutting board that came with the following cleaning instructions, which might be applicable to other types of plastic cutting boards...

"Stubborn stains rub off with an abrasive household cleanser and a Scotch-Brite pad. Even tougher stains disappear using fine grade (180-220 grit) sandpaper. Buffing afterwards with a Scotch-Brite pad will return the surface to its original matte finish."

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